Fiber delivery system for composite part manufacture

Abstract

A gantry mounted fiber placement machine has a creel and a head with a compaction roller for applying fiber to a mold or tool. The fiber placement machine has 6 axes of motion. The machine has a gantry that moves in the X-axis, a horizontal gantry beam that is parallel to the Y-axis, and a creel that moves with the gantry in the X-axis. The machine has a head that moves in the Y-axis parallel to the floor and across the gantry beam, and in the Z-axis perpendicular to the X and Y-axes. The head swivels in the I-axis as it rotates about the X-axis, in the J-axis as it rotates about the Y-axis, and in the K-axis as it rotates about the Z-axis.

I claim: 
     
       1. A gantry mounted fiber placement machine having a creel and a head with a compaction roller for applying fiber to a mold or tool, the fiber placement machine having 6 axes of motion, wherein the creel moves with the gantry, the machine comprising:
 a gantry that moves in an X-axis and a horizontal gantry beam that is parallel to a Y-axis; 
 a creel that moves with the gantry in the X-axis; 
 a head that moves in a Y-axis parallel to the floor and across the gantry beam; 
 a head that moves in a Z-axis perpendicular to the X and Y-axes; 
 a head that swivels in an I-axis as it rotates about the X-axis; 
 a head that swivels in a J-axis as it rotates about the Y-axis; 
 a head that swivels in a K-axis as it rotates about the Z-axis; 
 a B-axis roller mounted on the gantry above the head, whereby the B-axis roller changes the direction of travel of the fiber band from horizontal to vertical for delivery of the fiber to the top of the fiber placement head; 
 an A-axis roller mounted on the head above the opening that receives the fibers and below the B-axis roller, the A-axis roller mounted on a swivel to enable the fiber band to twist around the Z-axis as required by the motion of the head; 
 two adjacent rollers comprising the A-axis roller, the adjacent rollers enabling the head to swivel + and −90 degrees about the I-axis while the at least one of the adjacent rollers maintains contact with the fiber tows; 
 an upper set of rollers and a lower set of rollers comprising the A-axis rollers; and 
 the rollers of the upper and lower sets being separated by guide plates, whereby the guide plates prevent adjacent fibers from contacting one another and from switching to the incorrect corresponding roller when the fibers switch from one A-axis roller to the other A-axis roller. 
 
     
     
       2. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an opening in the top of the head for receiving fiber, whereby fiber is delivered into the head in a vertical direction, along the Z-axis. 
 
     
     
       3. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a vertical V-axis for the fiber between the creel and the head, whereby a mechanism along the V-axis takes up and pays out slack in the fiber between the creel and the head as the head moves to apply fiber to a 3-dimensional tool. 
 
     
     
       4. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 3  further comprising:
 fixed festoon rollers and movable festoon rollers comprising the mechanism along the V-axis, whereby a one meter motion of the movable festoon rollers results in a four meter motion of the fiber at the head. 
 
     
     
       5. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a swivel mount for the B-axis roller, whereby the B-axis roller is able to twist around the Y-axis to change the orientation of the fiber band in response to motion of the head. 
 
     
     
       6. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  wherein the B-axis roller is mounted downstream of the festoon rollers. 
     
     
       7. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  whereby the head swivels through an angle of at least 180 degrees about the I-axis to enable it to lay fiber in a half pipe mold having an axis of curvature that extends along the X-axis. 
     
     
       8. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  whereby the gantry and the creel move together along the X-axis to follow the long axis of a composite part. 
     
     
       9. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a home position for the head that orients the center axis of the compaction roller parallel to the X-axis and to the long axis of a composite part, whereby the head is required to rotate only 90 degrees from the home position to place fiber along the X-axis in either the plus X or the minus X direction. 
 
     
     
       10. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 4  further comprising:
 a servo drive for the movable festoon rollers, whereby the motion of the movable festoon rollers is determined by 3-D motion of the head as it follows the contour of a mold or tool. 
 
     
     
       11. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a saddle cantilever mounted on the face of the gantry beam, the saddle being movable in the Y-axis across the gantry beam; 
 a vertical slide mounted on the saddle for motion in the Z-axis; and, 
 an I-axis swivel coupling the head to the vertical slide, whereby the head is able to rotate about the I-axis relative to the vertical slide. 
 
     
     
       12. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 11  further comprising:
 a J-axis pivot between the I-axis swivel and the head, whereby the head is able to rotate about the J-axis relative to the I-axis swivel. 
 
     
     
       13. The gantry mounted fiber placement machine of  claim 12  further comprising:
 a K-axis swivel between the J-axis pivot and the head, whereby the head is able to rotate about the K-axis relative to the J-axis pivot. 
 
     
     
       14. A gantry mounted fiber placement machine having a creel and a head with a compaction roller for applying fiber to a mold or tool, the fiber placement machine having 6 axes of motion, wherein the creel moves with the gantry, the machine comprising:
 a gantry that moves in an X-axis and a horizontal gantry beam that is parallel to a Y-axis; 
 a creel that moves with the gantry in the X-axis; 
 a head that moves in a Y-axis parallel to the floor and across the gantry beam; 
 a head that moves in a vertical Z-axis perpendicular to the X and Y-axes; 
 a head that swivels in an I-axis as it rotates about the X-axis; 
 a head that swivels in a J-axis as it rotates about the Y-axis; 
 a head that swivels in a K-axis as it rotates about the Z-axis; 
 a B-axis roller mounted on the gantry above the head, whereby the B-axis roller changes the direction of travel of the fiber band from horizontal to vertical for delivery of the fiber to the top of the fiber placement head; 
 an A-axis roller mounted on the head above the opening that receives the fibers and below the B-axis roller, the A-axis roller mounted on a swivel to enable the fiber band to twist around the Z-axis as required by the motion of the head; and, 
 festoon input and output rollers and festoon fixed and movable rollers, wherein the festoon input and output rollers, the festoon fixed and movable rollers, the B-axis roller, the A-axis roller, and the compaction roller are all in a common plane that is perpendicular to the X-axis.